Synopsis

For the delight and edification of discerning readers, we present diverse stories concerning the lives, histories, and adventures of the crew of the aethership Shadowless.

Lament! as an upstanding clergyman falls into the villainous clutches of a notorious criminal mastermind.

Question your sanity! as a dissolute governess confronts blasphemies from beyond creation.

Wonder! at the journey of the dashing skycaptain Byron Kae across sapphire oceans, through smog-choked streets, and to the depths of the sky itself.

Gasp! at an entirely true and accurately rendered tale of pirates, cavalrymen, aethermancers, scientists, and a power to unmake the world.

Plus, hitherto unseen extracts from the meticulous and illuminating journals of Mrs. Miranda Lovelace, rogue scientist and first of the aethermancers.

This collection includes:

- Shackles (A Prosperity Story)

- Squamous with a Chance of Rain

- Cloudy Climes and Starless Skies

- Liberty

Review

This a collection of 4 short stories/novellas some of which are prequels, some - sequels to Prosperity but they all add more to the stories of our beloved characters from the first book.

Shackles is about Ruben and Milord. It's told from Ruben's POV but it reveals a lot about both Ruben and Milord. To say that I absolutely enjoyed it would be an understatement. Milord is the unrepentant villain we know from Prosperity and Ruben is the same iirresistibleupstanding man but their meeting and coming together really impacts them both deeply. They have their weaknesses and dark sides but I feel, all the stories in this collection are mostly about acceptance and loving someone (oneself) unconditionally. Ruben's voice is quite different style than Piccadilly's in Prosperity and that makes his tale easier to read in terms of language.

Squamous with a Chance of Rain tells the story of Lady Jane. She is my least favourite character of the lot and I don't mean that I dislike, I just love the rest of them much more. Still, her story was rather intriguing - an epistolary tale with of Gothic horror and somewhat reminiscent of Jane Eyre. This story mixes the mundane and the mythical and has more steampunk elements than the previous one. Lady Jane is a rather unreliable narrator which makes her story all the more mysterious and scary. 

Cloudy Climes and Starry Skies is all about Byron Kae and the story I liked the best. Byron Kae was the most unusual character for me in Prosperity. They were an amazing human being, yet I had somewhat difficult time picturing them in my head. Their story here completely won me over. I have  no words to properly describe what it made me feel. It's beautiful and painful and full of love and longing and pain and isolation. It presents brilliantly the universal desire of the human being to be accepted, to be valued for who they are. The story is heart-breaking and gut wrenching, yet ultimately full of love and tenderness. It reminded me in a lot of ways of Mr. Hall's short story Sand and Gold and Ruin, another allegorical tale of love and pain. 

The final story, Liberty, was not at all what I was expecting and it was amazing still the same. It's full of adventure and action and drama and multiple POVs. It's a sequel to Prosperity where we see Dil and Byron Kae and Lady Jane back together. Told through different documents - personal letters, official documents, some classified government correspondence, etc - it's an action story where the author skilfully plays with historical fact and fiction to create an emotional tale of power and ambition and love and forgiveness. And we meet Captain George England, yet another fantastic character created by Mr. Hall. I hope that we will have the chance to read his story at some point in the future.

These are beautifully written steampunk/fantasy stories exploring the human soul in all its beauty and ugliness. It takes the readers on a magical journey and it leaves them wanting so much more. A highly recommended read!

A side note: It's easier to read in terms of language, but just as beautifully and masterfully written. If you gave up on Prosperity because you found the slang too difficult, I'd suggest that you read these first and then go back to Prosperity. Or you can try There Will be Phlogiston - a free short story (m/m/f) set in the same world where the heroine is half-sister to Byron Kae. 

My reviews of other books by Alexis Hall:

Glitterland

Sand and Gold and Ruin

Prosperity

There Will be Phlogiston

Synopsis

With their lives and the fate of an empire at stake, Ariq is forced to leave Zenobia behind. Held captive by their enemies, Zenobia can only pray that Ariq keeps his promise to come for her—until a terrible loss prods her to action.

Ariq has no intention of handing over the Skybreaker to the two men responsible for the marauders’ attacks against Krakentown—but without a ransom to give them, Ariq must risk everything to rescue Zenobia and stop the swarming forces bent on destruction…

Title: The Kraken King Part VI: The Kraken King and the Crumbling Walls
Author: Meljean Brook
Date of publication: 20 May 2014
Genre/themes: Romance, Steampunk, Adventure

Author's links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Purchase Links: Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iTunes

Reunited, Ariq and Zenobia must journey over the red wall and make a desperate appeal to the one woman with enough power to halt the marauders’ plans—the Empress of Nippon.

But even the Kraken King cannot demand the attentions of an empress. Masked and quarantined, Ariq and Zenobia are forced to bide their time. Despite the fact that they are as physically close as two people can be, Zenobia is trying to keep the man she can’t help but love at a distance, terrified she’ll be hurt again. And all the while, the mysteries of the Living City grow around them…

The story keeps its intensity and fast pace in these two installments. Ms Brook adds some more political intrigues to the already complex plot and we finally see Ariq and Zenobia come together as a couple. 

Apart for the adventures (Part V is quite action-packed), we also learn more about the inner world of the characters. Zenobia shows some of her fears and Ariq is rather explicit in expressing his desires. 

I really like how Ms Brook mixes a true adventure story with a larger-than-life romance in this serial. There are many plot twists and turns which keep me turning the pages feverishly.

In theses two installments Ariq and Zenobia meet unexpected allies and new enemies. We see a new side Helene, Zenobia's friend, which was a pleasant surprise. 

The whole serial so far shapes as a gripping tale of love and honour, deceit and valour, a story of moral choices. At the same time it has this other, personal layer where we see a moving tale of one woman's and one man' fears and dreams, desires and duties.

I liked Part V most of all. It blended nicely the adventure and the love story. Part VI was more focused on Ariq and Zenobia as a couple and it lacked some of the action of the previous parts. 

I'm really excited about the final two episodes. There are a lot of plotlines that need to be completed and only one thing is certain - it will be an exciting ride.

Synopsis

After a harrowing escape, Zenobia, Ariq, and their company take refuge in a gold rush town—but their temporary port is just a respite before traveling to the dangerous smugglers’ dens. Ariq is determined to uncover the men responsible for the threat to Krakentown, even if it means confronting the notorious den lords.

But when he discovers evidence in Zenobia’s letters connecting her to the Horde rebellion, he realizes that the threat is far greater than he had suspected. His loyalties torn, Ariq must distance himself from the fascinating woman he desperately wants to hold closer.

Stunned and hurt by Ariq’s inexplicable coldness, Zenobia prepares to leave the dens and continue her journey to the Red City. But in the smugglers’ dens, danger lurks around every corner, and all of her protection is gone…

Synopsis

The Kraken King has declared that Zenobia Fox is under his protection—and with her identity revealed, she needs that protection more than ever. But it comes with a price when Ariq demands that Zenobia reveal her secrets in return.

Ariq wants nothing more than for Zenobia to trust him, and he knows exactly which sensual tricks will breach her defenses. But although she urgently desires the powerful governor, Zenobia isn’t a woman who will be easily won with a few passionate kisses.

When his ambush goes awry, Ariq discovers just how deeply he can hurt her—but the real danger to Zenobia is one that he never expected…

In Part III  we go deeper into the world Ariq and Zenobia live. The descriptions of the Smugglers' Den is striking vivid and shows us both the beauty and true horror of this new world. 

We also learn more about Ariq and Zenobia mostly through their interactions with the other characters. And I can just say that Ariq is becoming impossible to resist not just for Zenobia but for me as well. 

This part is full of action on the one hand and on the other there is a constant pull-push relationship between the main characters.

The romance is really slow here - there is some lack of communication and some doubts on both sides which get in the way of Ariq and Zenobia coming together. At the end, a violent situation with Zenobia, pushes both of them to act on their attraction and leads to a mind-blowing kiss kiss which makes things between them hotter than hot.

Part IV was the best so far for me. The time came for Ariq and Zenobia to share some of their secrets. Some striking revelations are made and just when they are finally coming together, a plot twist takes us into a whole new direction. 

I already love both Ariq and Zenobia and here we see more of their background and learn of their past and the things which made them who they are now. His overwhelming lust for her is coupled with tenderness and deepest desire for to offer understanding and protection. She is overtaken with desire to surrender to him, yet she is afraid it might end badly for both of them. 

This part has a bitter sweet cliffhanger ending - Ariq and Zenobia are togther (in a way) but they are facing unknown danger. 

Look for my review of the next two parts of the serial tomorrow.

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